Cyclocross – Cycle EXIFhttp://www.cycleexif.com
Classic bicycles, road bikes, and fixed gearMon, 16 Oct 2017 16:45:01 +0000en-UShourly1PDCX: Speedvagen Team Issue Cyclocross CX-R & CX-Xhttp://www.cycleexif.com/speedvagen-team-issue-cyclocross
http://www.cycleexif.com/speedvagen-team-issue-cyclocross#respondMon, 31 Jul 2017 16:45:39 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=23771The seasons are turning. For those in the southern hemisphere, it means we can look forward to warmer weather and more daylight and for those in the northern hemisphere, well, it means ‘cross is coming. And Speedvagen is right there with you. The Portland workshop is offering a special pre-order offer for their indomitable Team…

The seasons are turning. For those in the southern hemisphere, it means we can look forward to warmer weather and more daylight and for those in the northern hemisphere, well, it means ‘cross is coming. And Speedvagen is right there with you.

The Portland workshop is offering a special pre-order offer for their indomitable Team Issue Cyclocross bikes, but this offer will only appeal to those with quick reflexes: the cutoff date is the 1st of August.

Speedvagen was inspired by cyclocross, founded nearly two decades ago with the dream of making these specialist machines better. Their influence has been profound, and continues to be so with this release of the Team Issue bikes.

Two versions are available: the CX-R Build with a SRAM Force 1 Hydro Groupset, and the Shimano DuraAce/XTR-equipped CX-X Build. They’re both the pinnacle of engineering, whatever your preferred flavour.

The CX-X Build, on the other hand, is assembled with a full ENVE front end, an Easton EC 90 SL 1x crankset, and Shimano Dura Ace Di2 shifters paired with their clutched XTR Di2 rear mech.

The US$8995 price tag also includes a pair of HED Belgium Plus Disc rims laced to DT240 disc hubs by Woody, their master mechanic. XTR Hydro Brakes ill be hauling you up, and a Chris King headset will keep you turning smoothly.

The star of both deals is, of course, the legendary Speedvagen frame, which features their Berzerker DISC dropouts, integrated seatmast, and strategically placed stainless reinforcements. Needless to say, it’s one of the best-looking frames on the course.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/speedvagen-team-issue-cyclocross/feed0The 3D Dimension: Donhou Bicycles DSS3 Prototypehttp://www.cycleexif.com/donhou-bicycles-dss3-prototype
http://www.cycleexif.com/donhou-bicycles-dss3-prototype#respondSun, 28 May 2017 16:45:19 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=23435Images of the highly-anticipated Donhou Bicycles DSS3 have finally been made public, revealing the latest evolution of a machine that has already won awards in its previous guises. Brooks’ photographer Jim Holland gives us a sneak peek. Tom has worked tirelessly on the Donhou Signature Series for the past few years and over that period…

Images of the highly-anticipated Donhou Bicycles DSS3 have finally been made public, revealing the latest evolution of a machine that has already won awards in its previous guises. Brooks’ photographer Jim Holland gives us a sneak peek.

Tom has worked tirelessly on the Donhou Signature Series for the past few years and over that period it has become more focused in purpose. The DSS1 was simply a all-day road bike with clearances for bigger tyres, while the DSS2 was more of a fat tyre tourer.

The DSS3 has crystallised its purpose into a race-ready cyclocross machine and has been tested under Neil Phillips, Kibosh team rider and Trans Continental racer who rode it for Yorkshire’s 3 Peaks, the National Champs and the London X League.

An interesting feature of the new frame is the 3D-printed seat tube lug, which will become an important aspect of the production process. There’s just a couple of details that are about to be finalised, then the DSS3 will be available for pre-order in the next few months. Head to the Donhou website for more information.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/donhou-bicycles-dss3-prototype/feed0Old School From Astrakhan: TORESVELO SSCXhttp://www.cycleexif.com/old-school-astrakhan-toresvelo-sscx
http://www.cycleexif.com/old-school-astrakhan-toresvelo-sscx#respondWed, 10 May 2017 16:45:04 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=23341Anton Gorbunov loves making modern frames with a retro vibe. The Russian builder lives in Astrakhan — in the country’s south — and this is his latest creation, a slim single speed cyclocrosser kitted up in a summer guise. At the moment, Anton has built the wheels up with a pair of Continental’s Gator Skin…

Anton Gorbunov loves making modern frames with a retro vibe. The Russian builder lives in Astrakhan — in the country’s south — and this is his latest creation, a slim single speed cyclocrosser kitted up in a summer guise.

At the moment, Anton has built the wheels up with a pair of Continental’s Gator Skin tires for summer riding but come winter, it’ll get a pair of knobbies — he can fit 40mm’s width of rubber in between the forks and stays.

A mix of Columbus Life and HSS tubes was used for the main frame, brazed together with Paragon Machine Works dropouts in the rear end. Anton ran the cables inside the tubes and used a wide CX crown for the forks.

A Gates Carbon belt drive was used for the drivetrain, which will keep things tidy and clean, with a Tune crankset adding a thoroughly modern look to what would otherwise be a traditional build.

White Industries had a part to play in making this a rock-solid machine, with their XMR hubs laced to a pair of Velocity Aileron rims. Anton is very proudly running Alec White’s new headset in the front, too.

The aesthetic is reinforced by a finishing kit from Ritchey Logic: their Classic components combine function and form, especially when allied with Gevenalle’s brake levers and a Brooks saddle.

While Anton’s SSCX may look, from a distance, like it came from a pre-digital age, a closer inspection reveals truck-like dependability, and his meticulous construction is evident. It sure looks like it’d be a blast to ride.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/old-school-astrakhan-toresvelo-sscx/feed0Canine ‘Cross: Mercredi Bikes Sausage Dog CXhttp://www.cycleexif.com/mercredi-bikes-sausage-dog-cx
http://www.cycleexif.com/mercredi-bikes-sausage-dog-cx#respondThu, 06 Apr 2017 16:45:29 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=23196Adeline O’Moreau has been sharing workshop space with Rowan Frameworks, in Woodchurch, Kent, and she managed to round up a pack of dachshunds for both inspiration and a photo shoot with her latest build, a race-ready CX bike. To summarise this one of a kind creation, Adeline had this to say: “Sausage dogs are pretty…

Adeline O’Moreau has been sharing workshop space with Rowan Frameworks, in Woodchurch, Kent, and she managed to round up a pack of dachshunds for both inspiration and a photo shoot with her latest build, a race-ready CX bike.

To summarise this one of a kind creation, Adeline had this to say: “Sausage dogs are pretty special. In their minds, I reckon, they are HUGE dogs. We’re just tricked by their innocent appearance but in reality, nothing will ever stop them, they are never intimidated, they live their lives however they please.

“So when we started designing the paint, I asked Robin – “do you trust me? I’ve got an idea, but I don’t think I can explain it” And he did trust me. So I got in touch with friend and amazing illustrator Thomas Slater who was immediately seduced by the idea. I think he is, like Robin and I are, a little bit Sausage Dog in spirit.

“The last ingredient we needed was the paintwork. The guys at Cole Coatings came up with a clever twist on the usual candy and used the different amount of paint to bring depth to the #sausagedogcamo.

“The result: a great race bike capable of handling entire days off-road. Robin’s got mad plans for this bike: Dirty Reiver, 3Peaks and Grinduro, the local CX league as well as the gruelling Echapée Escapades, presented by London’s nicest bunch: Sunday Echapée.

“It’s made of Columbus Zona tubes with Columbus MUD forks. In fact, it also features a super special Sausage Dove logo, a flying dog tribute to Columbus’ iconic Dove. I loved designing that one so much that I also turned it into a pin badge; I’ve got 100 of them up for grabs at Bespoked.

“We took those photos with Giles Smith and the help of Phil from Sausage Dog Hotel and the bike will be on show with its brand new paint at Bespoked this weekend. I’m excited and I hope people have a good sense of humour!

If you didn’t get a kick out of this project, didn’t feel a glow inside at the sight of a kennel’s worth of dachshunds in the one place at the one time, or weren’t fascinated by Adeline’s no-nonsense ethic, you need to get out more.

It’s been both a scorching summer in the southern hemisphere and a severe winter in the northern. To battle against it, Julian requested a CX racer from Saffron Frameworks specifically to deal with the muddiest conditions the UK season could dish out.

Once again, Matthew Sowter — maestro of London’s Saffron Frameworks — delivered Julian a machine perfectly tailored to withstand the mud that was in plentiful supply over last season’s circuit.

Using a mix of Columbus Life and Spirit tubes, Matthew designed a frame with massive clearances around the handmade FMB tyres and a simple-yet-strong SRAM CX 1 group. Fully-housed external cabling will preserve accurate shifting from the elements.

A 44mm head tube, coupled with an ENVE thru-axle disc fork, will ensure front-end stability, revolving perpetually on a Chris King headset. Julian also wanted the option to run the bike in a single speed format, so Paragon Rocker dropouts were used at the rear.

The paint references the colours of Autumn, from orange highlights in the dropout windows and foggy hues to the shades of wet tree trunks and glimpses of sky blues. The experts who applied it were Cole Coatings Workshop, located in South East London.

Splashed over a peaty brown marble, it’s an emotive scheme of colours, but you can be assured that underneath lies Matthew’s perfectly smooth and even fillets. It’s the frame that makes for a competitive race machine, one that hopefully carries Julian to victory.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/julians-saffron-frameworks-cx/feed0When The Flag Drops: Mercredi Bikes CXhttp://www.cycleexif.com/mercredi-bikes-cx
http://www.cycleexif.com/mercredi-bikes-cx#respondTue, 07 Feb 2017 16:45:31 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=22843While I was in the UK last year, I hung out with Timmy at nearby Rowan Frameworks, who told me about Adeline O’Moreau, who shares his workspace and is making frames under her own banner of Mercredi Bikes. At this stage, Adeline is completely and utterly focused on cyclocross racing, and that is specifically what…

While I was in the UK last year, I hung out with Timmy at nearby Rowan Frameworks, who told me about Adeline O’Moreau, who shares his workspace and is making frames under her own banner of Mercredi Bikes.

At this stage, Adeline is completely and utterly focused on cyclocross racing, and that is specifically what she has been creating frames for. She just emailed me with a background to her story and it’s an inspiring read, to say the least.

Adeline and Timmy photographed this bike, the first she made, in the forest next to their Woodchurch workshop. She’s built a few since then, but it’ll probably make for a better story if she tells it:

It’s the first frame I ever made, it was only 9 months ago. At the time, I had just quit my creative job in the advertising industry, I thought there had to be more to life than late nights in the office working on pitches.

I had signed up for a course at The Bicycle Academy because I wanted to make things again. Little did I know where I was going to be, because of that, a few months later! There wasn’t a plan. But sometimes it’s great to just go where life takes you.

I had been racing cross on small off the shelf bikes. I bloody love CX! But those bikes were just never right. When you turn up to the races, just off the train, with your one bike, about to battle for an hour against some racers with two, sometimes 3 bikes, what can you do?

You got toe overlap, mud clogs everything, the front triangle is so small you just can’t shoulder right, etc. So I wanted to make a bike for myself that would solve those issues.

I didn’t want to make a piece of art, I wanted to build a highly functional bicycle, that would be perfect for my kind of performance. Grass root CX, with no pit team to rely on. Just team mates and other strong-ass determined women to chase or be chased by and sometimes a couple of friends screaming at me from the side.

Every decision we made was informed by how the bike was going to perform. If it’s not going to improve the riding, don’t do it. That’s how I ended up with this race machine. 1×11 for clearance and one less thing to break. Thru axle front and rear. Immense cassette for the longer hills.

Mechanical discs — easy to look after by myself in my small London home. Integrated headset to leave enough room to braze that small bicycle. And more important than all of that: no filed fillets. When I’m in the red from the gun, I’ll never notice whether the joints are smooth or not. The people racing me won’t either.

And you know, it was made by hand, by an obsessive bike rider, with only racing in mind, so why hide it?

I got so excited with the improved riding that I decided to push that thinking and process a bit further. I went back to The Bicycle Academy, with a little bit of help from Shand and BA. This time, I was going to make a batch. How much more efficient can I be, if I repeat the actions 3-4 times?

One of the bikes was for my team mate Clare. We then went on to test them in what people call the hardest cyclocross race in the UK: 3 Peaks CX. It’s a bit of an institution around here — I wrote about the event on the Hope Tech Women site if you want to know more.

But it went to comfort me in that thinking: make it and race it. Don’t waste time sweating over details. If it’s not going to make the rider go out on the bike more, forget about it. It should end up scratched and dented, that’s awesome.

It’ll mean I – or my customers – rode them hard. It might end up being built up from hacked 1×11 Shimano 105, so be it. It doesn’t need to be posh.

There are tons of women racers and riders out there, stuck on off-the-shelf bikes that don’t fit, who’d never consider buying a bespoke bike because they think it’s a piece of art, rather than a tool for a job. But that’s what I want Mercredi to be: no nonsense bicycles for all. The perfect tool for a job. The right weapon for our grass-root battles.

You don’t win races with filed fillets. You win races by picking the right lines, moving your body around in the best way, by digging deeper than you ever dug. And you can make this easier to do by doing it on the right bike.

That being said, I’ve got to improve my winning ratio. But this season on this bike has been pretty incredible. From the 3 Peaks to Belgium, big adventures and local CX leagues, that bike has seen me through every sort of terrain. It’s been pretty awesome.

There’s no doubt about it: Adeline’s a tenacious rider — and writer. And with a refreshing attitude like hers, there’s obviously going to be some interesting work emanating from the countryside in Kent.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/mercredi-bikes-cx/feed0But How It Is Sweetly Worn: Legor Cicli x ENVE x BBUC CXhttp://www.cycleexif.com/legor-cicli-x-enve-x-bbuc-cx
http://www.cycleexif.com/legor-cicli-x-enve-x-bbuc-cx#respondMon, 16 Jan 2017 16:45:47 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=22736This pastel-painted ‘crosser is the result of an international star-studded collaboration: the Viennese design collective of Brillibrilliant / Unicorn, Barcelona’s Legor Cicli, ENVE and the fashion haus of Wendy&Jim. As the lovechild of such luminaries, the result is suitably spectacular. Not only due to the brilliantly executed livery which, incidentally, has a matching team kit…

This pastel-painted ‘crosser is the result of an international star-studded collaboration: the Viennese design collective of Brillibrilliant / Unicorn, Barcelona’s Legor Cicli, ENVE and the fashion haus of Wendy&Jim.

As the lovechild of such luminaries, the result is suitably spectacular. Not only due to the brilliantly executed livery which, incidentally, has a matching team kit produced by Brillibrilliant / Unicorn, but also the engineering of Legor Cicli’s Mattia Paganotti.

Brillibrilliant / Unicorn is based in Vienna and is inspired by a group of like-minded riders that congregate at the Hotel am Brillantengrund, a venue in Vienna that looks like a great place to spend an afternoon of post-ride rehydration.

BBUC initially teamed up with ENVE on their November Edition Cyclocross package, which consists of a CX Tubular Wheelset laced to black Chris King Ceramic hubs, and also entails a matching pair of #BBURD water bottles, skinsuit, cap and wheelbag.

Designed jerseys are common sightings these days, but the edition created for BBUC by Wendy&Jim is done just right, and the accessories — and matching Legor Cicli CX — is icing on the cake.

The project was initiated by the visionary Ken Bloomer of ENVE/Crema Cyles earlier last year. Christian at BBUC actually designed John Watson’s Crema Cycles Duo, which made significant waves across the internet and was included in John’s Top 10 of 2016.

Mattia’s contribution to the collaboration was a Columbus Spirit-tubed frame with his signature curved chainstays, meeting a hard-to-get T47 bottom bracket and finally assembled with Syntace thru-axle dropouts.

The paint references BBUC’s ‘Fictional Nations Concept™’ grid, “inspired by the people and cyclists that surround the Hotel am Brillantengrund every day.” Lofty ideals indeed, but one with its tyres planted firmly on the muddy ground.

Three Northern Californian companies came together to collaborate on this putty-coloured ‘crosser: San Francisco’s Ornot clothing brand, Santa Barbara’s Stinner Frameworks and the Bay Area’s Ritchey Components.

Aaron Stinner’s Frameworks don’t do things by halves: their frames are highly regarded the world over, and with good reason. A Stinner frame is well-crafted, but their in-house painter, James Bellerue, has also been a major contributor to their success.

The coats of paint that James applies to Stinner frames are striking and individual, a natural choice for a collaboration with Ornot, who place a huge emphasis on strong graphic design for their apparel.

Ornot was founded in 2013 from a frustration with the current trend of kit emblazoned with corporate logos, and have thus established themselves as a brand of US designed-and-made that doesn’t need to brand itself.

For this project, Ornot and Stinner teamed up with another NorCal native, Ritchey Components, to produce a team bike for local CX racing, painted by James to reflect Ornot’s latest graphic identity, and it features newly-released developments by Ritchey.

The front end of the collaborative bike is spearheaded by the new tapered Ritchey disc fork, as well as their new headset. The fork is a 1-1/8″ to 1-1/4″ full carbon fork with post mounts for disc and an innovative thru axle design.

The headset comprises an oversized external lower race for 44mm headtubes, created to match perfectly with the new fork. 40C tires fit with room to spare, both between the fork legs and the chain and seat stays.

Identically corresponding colors to the Ornot team’s CX skinsuits were carried on to the seat tube and WCS C260 stem. The result is a culmination of the best of all three businesses — and it’s sure to be a ride-away success at this season’s events.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/stinner-ritchey-ornot/feed0Panthera Tigris In Goleta: Stinner Tigerstyle Ellwood CXhttp://www.cycleexif.com/stinner-tigerstyle-ellwood-cx
http://www.cycleexif.com/stinner-tigerstyle-ellwood-cx#respondTue, 23 Aug 2016 16:45:33 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=21984The paintwork covering the frames coming out of the Santa Barbara workshop of Stinner Frameworks has been blowing minds lately; it’s the work of James Bellerue — in-house designer and Head of Paint, and this ‘tigerstyle’ is one of his latest pieces. Of course, the initial concept came from the customer, who wanted the stripes…

The paintwork covering the frames coming out of the Santa Barbara workshop of Stinner Frameworks has been blowing minds lately; it’s the work of James Bellerue — in-house designer and Head of Paint, and this ‘tigerstyle’ is one of his latest pieces.

Of course, the initial concept came from the customer, who wanted the stripes of Panthera Tigris in matte green laid over a black base, topped with the Stinner logotype in orange. James injected life into a beast that’s destined to roam the hills of Los Angeles.

James studied art at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, before making the move to Santa Barbara. After working in bike shops around the area he became acquainted with Aaron Stinner who was willing to teach him some framebuilding skills.

The Stinner workshop continued to grow and seeing as James had a background in art, Aaron asked James if he wanted to try his hand at painting and now, with Stinner bikes in high demand all over the world, James is the man responsible for their superb liveries.

He had this to say about the background to this particular design:
“Our customers are amazing and we constantly inspire each other. In this case, we had decided a colour direction when I got an e-mail from my co-worker Jeremy relaying: “The customer wants to see what a tiger-stripe treatment would look like”.

“There’s always a million ways something like that could go but I immediately thought ‘let’s make Rambo’s cross bike’. I felt an overall pattern would be better than emulating more realistic stripes, I wanted the tiger to be obvious but not to look exactly like one.

“We’re pretty stoked with the results. At the end of the day you have to pay to play, and all those stripes had to get pulled off after masking. All said and done just the masking/unmasking of the stripes took about 4 hours.

Stinner frames aren’t just popular for James’ paintwork, of course. They’ve a highly regarded reputation for solidly built, straight-up machines for duelling with asphalt or off-road terrain; a result of the work by a dedicated team of professionals.

]]>http://www.cycleexif.com/stinner-tigerstyle-ellwood-cx/feed0Singing To An Ocean: Firefly Bicycles for Eric Boneshttp://www.cycleexif.com/singing-ocean-firefly-bicycles-eric-bones
http://www.cycleexif.com/singing-ocean-firefly-bicycles-eric-bones#respondMon, 22 Aug 2016 16:45:29 +0000http://www.cycleexif.com/?p=21975A few years ago, messenger/artist/entrepreneur Eric Bones collaborated with fellow Bostonians Firefly Bicycles on The Bones Project: an exhibition of custom-painted stainless steel bikes. More recently, Eric has been back at the Firefly workshop; this time to pick up his own custom Firefly. Eric has been moving ahead with his Ocean operation, which is a…

A few years ago, messenger/artist/entrepreneur Eric Bones collaborated with fellow Bostonians Firefly Bicycles on The Bones Project: an exhibition of custom-painted stainless steel bikes. More recently, Eric has been back at the Firefly workshop; this time to pick up his own custom Firefly.

Eric has been moving ahead with his Ocean operation, which is a ‘team’ of sorts. A skilled designer, he’s conceived a range of jerseys, bib shorts, and accessories that will be used to dress some riders in the Red Hook and the Wolfpack Crit series. Remember his Circle A-painted Cervélo S2? Well, this is the new company vehicle.

With the unlimited potential a custom frame offers, crystallising exactly what role it will fulfil can take some time. Working out the technical details can take even longer. The conceptualisation process took Eric about two years before he was ready to talk to Kevin Wolfson, one of the original founders of Firefly Bicycles.

There was already a specific road and track bike in Eric’s stable, so his Firefly would fill the gap between his dirt and gravel road excursions, and his cyclocross racing. The result was a personalised interpretation of Firefly’s All-Road offering: a predominantly titanium frame — Firefly’s speciality — with a carbon seat tube.

The construction is impeccable, as you’d expect. The ‘stacks of dimes’ around each join result in a frame that looks as though it’s going to withstand a lifetime’s worth of abuse and, even though this is Eric’s first titanium frame, he will already testify to its light, strong and responsive attributes.

The Parlee disc ‘cross fork is an option available with the Firefly All-Road, as is the Integrated Seat Post, which also happens to be Eric’s favourite feature: “Nothing says custom”, he says, “like a bike that’s really hard to sell! But don’t worry, this thing isn’t going anywhere, ever.”

The top tube and stem are covered with the katakana elements of the Ocean label, while the ISP and down tube are decorated with the other motifs that appear on both the brand’s outfits and the Cervélo. Eric states that it’s the most dialled bike in his stable, and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be his favourite.